Increased Chances of Miscarriage In Older Mothers

Chances of miscarriage definitely do increase, as a woman gets older. Women over thirty-five and especially women over the age of forty have increased risk of not being able to carry a pregnancy to term. This can be discouraging but it’s important to realize that many women do successfully carry their pregnancies to term even without the help of a doctor. If you are concerned you are unable to carry full term and are worried about increased chances of miscarriage, it is important to speak with your doctor or healthcare professional. Today many women are waiting to have babies later and many women that are over thirty-five do conceive successfully. There are increased risk factors though that do increase chances of miscarriage so preparing yourself in advance for potential problems in a high-risk pregnancy is important.

Today, medical science does help more infertile couples than ever conceive and carry a pregnancy to a full forty weeks gestation. While increased risk might be present, physician intervention with special orders for bed rest or medication can assist you.

Other medical issues can increase the chances of a miscarriage such as repeated or recurring miscarriages, which are categorized in women who have three or more consecutive miscarriages. Drug, cigarette and alcohol use in pregnancy can also contribute to the chances of miscarriage as well as other medical factors.

If you are trying to conceive, take good care of your prenatal health. See a doctor first, especially if you have risk factors that increase your chances of miscarriage and also take folic acid to reduce the instances of spina bifida and other neurological birth defects. Doing whatever you can to decrease your chances of miscarriage will help but sometimes the inevitable does happen. IF you do experience loss of your pregnancy, it’s important to realize that this does not necessarily mean that you will never be able to bear children. Miscarriage happens in up to one in five of all pregnancies, even those without increased chances of miscarriage. While a miscarriage is a painful loss to both the woman and her partner, it is not always indicative of the couple’s ability to conceive again in future with success.

While most miscarriages are the result of fetal or embryonic abnormalities with chromosomes that are out of your and your doctor’s control, not all miscarriages mean that you will have multiple miscarriages. A loss such as a miscarriage is a real loss for a couple and taking time to grieve and heal is important. If necessary, seek out a support group online or in your town or city and by all means, ask your doctor to provide you with more information to help you determine if you are likely to be able to conceive successfully in future.